Swift Senate passage of hate crimes bill urged

July 3, 20091:48 AM CST

Original source:

Though the House of Representatives passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act three months ago, the Senate has yet to take action on the bill.

Last week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Obama administration strongly supported the bill, stating, ‘The President and I seek swift passage of this legislation because hate crimes victimize not only individuals, but entire communities.’

Michael Lieberman, Washington counsel for the Anti-Defamation League and co-chair of LCCR’s hate crimes task force testified to the escalating problem of hate crimes in the U.S., citing recent FBI statistics and LCCREF’s recent report, ‘Confronting the New Faces of Hate: Hate Crimes in America.’

‘Failure to address this unique type of crime could cause an isolated incident to explode into widespread community tension. The damage done by hate crimes, therefore, cannot be measured solely in terms of physical injury or dollars and cents. By making members of minority communities fearful, angry, and suspicious of other groups – and of the power structure that is supposed to protect them – these incidents can damage the fabric of our society and fragment communities,’ said Lieberman.